Berma H. Tibbitts

Berma Hester Tibbitts, 94, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 13, 2019, with her children at her side. She was born February 16, 1925. Mayes Ward-Dobbins is handling her arrangements. The Reverend Johnny Foster will be the officiant. The funeral will be on Monday, September 16, at 11:00 am, with visitation at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Gaines Park Assisted Living on Old Hwy. 41, in Kennesaw, 30152 or the Marietta Life Center on Atlanta Rd., Marietta, 30060. Berma was the next to the youngest child in a family of eight children. She was born to parents Robert (Rob) and Nanny Hester in Roopville, Georgia, who were farmers in this rural west central Georgia location. She grew up knowing hard work, as she and her brothers and sisters all helped to tend the crops and the livestock that they cultivated and raised, not only for sale, but to feed their family as well. As a young teenager, Berma was badly burned in an automobile explosion, her legs sustained the very worst burns, and she lost the use of her legs for a time. During her rehabilitation from her injuries, she had to learn to walk again. After World War II, Berma met J.S. Tibbitts, Jr., and after a period of courting, the two were married. J.S. was employed by the Life Insurance Company of Georgia, where he served in numerous staff and managerial positions in various locations in both Georgia and Louisiana. During her early years, Berma worked at what then was the The Bell Bomber Plant in Marietta (now the home of Lockheed Georgia Plant), and later at Davison’s Department store in downtown Atlanta. In June 1951, their first child, Jeff Stephen Tibbitts, III (Steve) was born, and in September of 1955, their second child, a daughter, Beth, was born. In 1962 the family moved to what was then a fairly rural area, East Cobb County, where both children attended Cobb County Public Schools and participated in sports, academic, and various other extracurricular activities, which kept Berma on the go all the time. She is the grandmother of 6 and the great-grandmother of 9. During many years of raising her family and keeping house, Berma was an excellent cook and enjoyed preparing great southern home cooking for her family and the many friends who would happen by at mealtime. She was also an accomplished seamstress and taught her future daughter-in-law, Susan Harris, the fine art of sewing. Berma and J.S. attended the Methodist church and raised their children in the church. After J.S.’s death in July, 2003, Berma continued to live in her home in the then heavily populated East Cobb county, until February, 2007, when she moved to Manor on the Square facility in Roswell. She later moved into Gaines Park Assisted Living in March, 2012, in order to be closer to her children. In 2018, she moves to the Marietta Life Center, where she received excellent care in her last year and a half of life.

Berma H. Tibbitts

February 16, 1925 - September 13, 2019